‘After nearly annihilating the world, our relatives have become friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity came closer toward annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This transpired when a US surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were under construction on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a naval blockade around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days of extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained palpable. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction of global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting mankind into total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new dimension into the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men that, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do nations hate each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be allies or can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s notable about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp